The Trouble Maker of Seaford High & My Heart
by MaaandaXOXO
Summary: Jack Anderson moved to Seaford, California with his mom expecting a fresh start. New friends, new school, a new beginning. What he wasn't expecting was Kim Crawford to come waltzing into his life, the local prankster and supposed "bad girl". When Jack begins to uncover the secrets of Kim's past, he soon learns that appearances can be deceiving and...
1. Chapter 1

**Hello my amazing readers! So I know all of you are expecting me to update Summer Brings Changes and I promise I will, very soon. I'm getting a little feedback on my next chapter before I post it, so just be patient. But, a new idea for Kickin' It popped into my head today and I just had to write it down before I lost it. So this is the first chapter of my newest addition, The Trouble Maker of Seaford High, and My Heart. Every chapter told in Jack's POV. I hope you all enjoy :)**

**Summary: **Jack Anderson moved to Seaford, California with his mom expecting a fresh start. New friends, new school, a new beginning. What he wasn't expecting was Kim Crawford to come waltzing into his life, the local prankster and supposed "bad girl". When Jack begins to uncover the secrets of Kim's past, he soon learns that appearances can be deceiving and to really know a person, you have to break down a few walls.

XOXO

* * *

**Chapter 1: Seaford High & The Bonnie Twins**

It was Monday morning, which meant today was my first day at Seaford High. It wasn't like I was nervous or anything. Seaford was my third school in the past two years, so I was pretty accustomed to being labeled the "new kid" and having to adjust to a new life. Nope, I wasn't nervous at all, only a little peeved at the fact that I had been told about me moving again only a few days before we actually left my last home in Miami, Florida.

"Jack! Get a move on, you're gonna be late!" My mom's voice echoed through the empty halls of our two bedroom duplex. I rolled my eyes before grabbing my skateboard and backpack and rushing out the front door. My house was only ten minutes away from the school, so I really don't know why my mom was so worried about me being late. I still had another twenty minutes to spare.

I finally reached the high school after a few quick turns down a couple of streets. I stopped across from the crowded parking lot and watched as a sea of students stood around outside chatting and hugging each other like they had been separated in years, when really, it had only been a measly two months.

I took in my surroundings, noticing how small the school compared in size to my last one in Miami. It was also much more dull and less complex, as well as only one story. This was going to take some getting use to. At least the girls looked less skanky, but a little more dressy.

"Yo! Watch it!" I heard someone shout behind me. I quickly turned around and came face to face with a guy. He came to an abrupt hault on his skateboard before he crashed into me.

"Man, why you gotta get all up in my way? I was on a roll." He said as he took his helmet off.

"Sorry, I guess I wasn't paying attention. I'm new here. I'm Jack." I replied sticking out my hand to introduce myself. The kid eyed me for a second before grabbing my hand in return.

"I'm Jerry, Jerry Martinez. Where you from?" Jerry asked.

"Miami."

"Miami! Damn bro, you left all those hot chicas for this place?" He seemed amused, yet surprised at the same time. I just laughed.

"I didn't really have a choice in the matter. My mom just moved me here. But trust me dude, they are not all that hot there." I informed him. It was true. The Miami girls were pretty, I had to admit, but most of them were too fixated on the image of "sexy" and wore way too much makeup and their shirts were longer than their skirts. It wasn't appealing having girls just throw themselves at him. He liked a challenge, not something easy.

"Well, welcome to Seaford bro. There isn't much to it, but you'll fit in just fine." Jerry said as he patted my back. I smiled, but my attention was quickly directed else where when a loud thumping erupted from the distance. I turned around and watched as a blonde girl wearing sunglasses in a black 2008 Mazda 6 pulled into the school's parking lot, Mac Miller blaring through her speakers. A lot of eyes strayed to the girl as she and her brunette companion stepped out of the car. She was decked out in dark washed ripped skinny jeans, a plain white tight fitting tank top, knee high brown boots, and a black leather bomber jacket. I'd be lying if I said she wasn't attractive.

"Who is that?" I asked Jerry as the girl and her friend walked towards the school entrance, receiving a couple of whistles and random "what up girls".

"The blonde is Kim Crawford, and her friend is Grace Benson. They're pretty much two of the hottest girls at Seaford, but totally untouchable." Jerry sighed in disappointment.

"Why is that?" I questioned curiously.

"Oh man, if only you knew. Those girls are the definition of trouble, especially Kim. She's a little saucy one. They pull the funniest, greatest freaking pranks ever, but no one messes with them because Kim is basically the scariest girl to ever walk this planet. She broke this one guy's arm last year in three places and I'm guessing he'll never be able to have kids, and that was just for taking a try at slapping her ass. There's rumors that they're into drugs and crap too, but that's just what people say. I honestly can't see it. Every guy wants them, but no one can have them." Jerry looked mesmerized. I could tell he was definitely one of those guys wishing he could have one of the Bonnie twins. **(Bonnie & Clyde reference)** I didn't blame him though. They were pretty hot, and that Kim girl had something about the way she walked. She walked with such confidence, it really was like she was untouchable. A little frightening, but only because I wasn't use to girls like that.

"Well man, we better get to class." Jerry interrupted my thoughts as he ran across the street, gesturing for me to follow. He took me to the office so that I could get my schedule, then he showed me my locker, which was conveniently located right next to my first class.

The teacher, Mr. Briggs, assigned me to a seat in the back of the class. I thanked him after receiving my calculus book and made my way down the rows until I reached my desk. I was about to set my backpack down when I stopped suddenly after realizing who was sitting in the seat directly next to mine. A very pretty blonde by the name of Kim Crawford. She looked up at me briefly, making my legs completely immobile. Her dark brown eyes met mine and I couldn't help but focus all of my undivided attention on this girl. There was something so familiar, yet so mysterious about them.

"Ahem. Mr. Anderson, would you like to keep gawking at Miss Crawford, or would you be ever so kind as to take your seat so we may begin?" Mr. Briggs asked, annoyance coating his voice. I quickly sat down as the little giggles from girls and snorting from guys filled the classroom. How embarrassing. I snuck a side glance at the blonde sitting next to me, noticing a small smirk on her pale, soft looking face.

It was the first day and I could already tell this year was going to be a long and _interesting _one.

* * *

**Slow start, but I promise it will pick up. It'll be a little different from my last ones, not as dramatic but a little more romantic and humerous. The chapters will get longer and the relationship between Kim and Jack will surely be an intense but strong one.**

**I decided to make Kim a little more intimidating and give her a boost in confidence since most of the Kickin' stories tend to make her the damsal in distress.**

**Tell me what you think?**

**Oh, and here's the link to Kim's outfit! Go to Polyvore and type this in the address bar after. cgi/set?id=57819128  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey y'all. So I haven't updated this story in a few weeks and I felt like it needed to be because I really like where this story is going...in my head haha.**

**I'm getting tons of compliments and great reviews about how Kim is portrayed in this story and I'm so glad to hear you guys like it. I just thought that with all the stories out there that make Kim appear as the damsel, that maybe she needed to have a strong comeback. Hence the tough girl look and attitude.**

**Anyways...enjoy.**

**XOXO**

**-M**

* * *

**Chapter 2: The Pizzeria**

I had learned a number of things on his first day at Seaford High. One, don't get caught staring at Kim Crawford. The teacher will call you out and you will look like an idiot. Two, always remember to watch where you step in biology, there's always that chance of tripping and spilling all the smelly, gross remains of the dissected frog all over your partner. Finally, stear clear of Donna Tobin and her posse. They might look like a group of normal teenage girls, but really it's only a ploy to trap you with their beauty and then leave you with an STD and a fear of the opposite sex. Seaford was beginning to seem like a much bigger challenge than I had anticipated.

"I'm telling you bro, Donna has her little beady eyes on you." Jerry stated as we sat down at a table in the back of the cafeteria. He pointed over towards Donna's table where she was indeed staring at me, most likely undressing me in her mind. I shivered. Just the thought of touching Donna gave me the creeps. I couldn't even tell whether or not she was attractive with the ten pounds of make up she had caked all over her face. In what world did any girl think that was cute? I shook my head at her and looked down at my food. As disgusting as it looked, it was a much more appealing sight than Donna 'the barbie' Tobin.

"Ok, what is this?" I asked Jerry as I poked a mound of brown goop with my fork.

"Oh that? It's mashed potatoes drenched in gravy. It looks gross, but it's actually one of the better meals we get." He answered. Ok, make that four things I learned. Always bring your lunch from home.

"This so isn't appetizing." I mumbled. Jerry snickered.

"Oh there's Eddie and Milton." Jerry said as he stood up to flag down two guys who had just walked into the room. One was a short, pudgy African American, and the other was a tall, lanky red head.

"Jack, this is Eddie and Milton. Eddie, Milton, this is Jack. He's the new guy." Jerry introduced us. Eddie, the short one, shook my hand before plopping down next to Jerry. Milton stood there for a moment staring at me. It was like he was analyzing me, contemplating on whether or not to accept me. A minute or two later, he shook my hand too.

"Sorry, I'm always extra cautious about meeting new people. I'm a very nervous individual." Milton explained.

"He's scared of people. Being the school nerd guarantees you a wedgie or two every once in awhile." Eddie said. Milton rolled his eyes.

"I am not scared of people. I am scared of the Black Dragons." He retorted.

"What are the Black Dragons?" I asked curiously. The guys all exchanged a look before turning around in their seats, Jerry nodding his head towards a crowded table of a group of guys all wearing red and black jumpsuits with big bold letters on the back reading "Black Dragons".

"They're a group of asshole karate dudes that think they're better than everyone else." Jerry said.

"They kind of are better than everyone else. We could never beat them." Eddie added.

"Rudy has been trying to recruit more students but no one wants to train at Bobby Wasabi's when the Black Dragons are around." Milton sighed.

"Whoa, you guys do karate for Bobby Wasabi?" I questioned them.

"Yeah, you heard about the dojo?" Eddie asked. I nodded my head.

"Yeah, my grandfather was Bobby Wasabi's sensei. He taught him everything he knows. He taught me too. I just didn't think there were any dojos in Seaford." I answered. All three of them were now wide eyed and staring at me like I had sprouted a second head.

"What?"

"Dude! Your grandfather trained Bobby Wasabi! And you? What belt are you?" Jerry was basically on the edge of his seat now.

"I'm a third degree black belt." I said.

"Whoooooo!" Jerry was suddenly on his feet waving his arms around and shouting. Eddie rolled his eyes before pulling Jerry back down into his seat. I looked around noticing how everyone's attention was now focused on us.

"You have to join!" Milton shouted.

"Why?"

"Dude, you're a third degree black belt! The only other person in Seaford that is a third degree is Kim Crawford and no one has been able to get her to join any dojo. Not even the Black Dragons." Eddie remarked. Now it was my turn to be stunned. Kim Crawford, the beautiful blonde in my math class, was a third degree black belt? The guys could clearly see the surprise on my face.

"Oh yeah, I forgot. You're crushing on Kim." He smiled. I shook my head quickly.

"I am not crushing on her. I barely know her." I said. They didn't look convinced.

"Oh come on, you told me the teacher called you out in front of everyone for staring at her." Jerry accused. I shook my head again.

"It's ok Jack. We've all been there at some point." Eddie stated.

"Yeah, Kim Crawford is a babe." Jerry added.

"I'm a what?"

The guys became extremely still, almost like stone. Jerry's eyes widened in fear. Kim Crawford was standing directly behind him, and she had heard exactly what he called her. I gazed up at her slowly, scared to see how angry she actually was.

"I asked you a question Jerry." She said. Her face was serious, but I couldn't detect any emotion from her features. It was like trying to read a closed book. Was she mad? Was she upset? Maybe happy? Jerry slowly turned around in his seat to face the blonde beauty. Her friend Grace stood beside her, glaring down at him with her arms crossed. Kim stood there with her hand on her hip. I could tell she had no plans on moving until she got an answer.

"I, uh, I said you were pretty?" He replied unsure of his response. Kim cocked one eyebrow up and eyed him in a questioning way.

"I don't think that's what you said. So I'll ask again Jerry, what did you call me?" This time Kim bent over and rested her hands on the back of Jerry's seat so that she was eye level with him. I could see him shaking. I would be too if I was in his position. Hell, I was shaking in math class and I hadn't even talked to the girl.

"I...I called you a babe." He whispered lowering his head. We all sat there completely silent waiting for whatever horrible thing Kim was going to say to Jerry.

"Thank you." She said straightening herself up again. She flashed us all a smile before her and her friend Grace walked away leaving us totally speechless.

"What the hell just happened?" Jerry asked us as he watched Kim and Grace make their way to the opposite side of the cafeteria taking a seat at a table with a boy. Eddie started laughing.

"Dude, you almost pissed your pants. You should have seen your face." Eddie and Milton were both now busting up.

"Hey! That girl could break my face! You'd be scared too!" He defended. The guys began arguing and even though it was highly entertaining, my mind was somewhere else. I looked over at the table where Kim sat with her friends and watched her laugh and playfully nudge the guy she was sitting next to. He was fairly tall and had short brown hair. He wasn't exactly skinny, but he wasn't big either. Anyone could see that he worked out. I was curious about the interaction between them. Jerry had told me that Kim and Grace didn't date, but her behavior towards this guy said otherwise. Not that I cared or anything. Kim may have been a beautiful girl, but I wasn't interested in her. At least, not that much. It was purely physical attraction.

"Jack!" I snapped out of my thoughts as Jerry shouted at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Are you staring at Kim again?" Jerry smirked. I groaned.

"For the last time Jerry, no. I have no interest in her." Wow, even I had to admit that didn't sound very convincing.

"If you're wondering who that is, his name is Brody Carlson. He's not Kim's boyfriend so you don't need to worry. He's just her best friend." Milton explained.

"I don't care who he is or who he is to her. It's her life." I replied.

"Although, I heard they do have a thing for each other, but Kim has that no dating rule." Eddie added.

"Well maybe for all the other guys, but Kim hasn't gotten to know Jack yet!" Jerry shouted. I mentally face palmed myself. They were never going to quit.

"Can we just get going to class? I have to find the gym." I attempted to change the subject. The guys just shrugged.

"Sure. I have gym next too, so I'll help you." Jerry said as he walked over to the garbage can and dumped his tray. I followed. We said goodbye to Milton and Eddie before we made our way to the gym.

* * *

Gym went by pretty fast. All we did was play a game of dodge ball and then spent the last ten minutes talking. As much as I enjoyed meeting the guys and getting to know my way around Seaford, I couldn't wait to get home. I was tired of today and I just wanted to go to sleep and start a new day.

I said bye to Jerry before I walked home. I was hoping my mom wouldn't be there just yet. I knew she was going to ask me tons of questions about school and the people I met, but I was in no mood to answer any of them. I just wanted food and my bed. Of course I would have no such luck though, and as soon as I got into the house my mother immediately badgered me for information.

"Did you make any friends?"

"Yes."

"How were your classes?"

"Fine."

"Do you like the people here so far?"

"Sure."

"Do you want to talk?"

"No."

"Want to go out for pizza?"

"Ok."

That was literally our entire conversation. Although I could tell she wanted to ask more about my day, my mother knew that when I didn't want to talk, that she should just leave me be. Pizza did sound good though, so going out for an hour or two wasn't going to do any harm.

We drove into the town limits and searched for a nearby pizza place. Soon enough we came across a small little business called Luigi's Pizzeria. We were both too hungry to look for another place so we parked on the side of the street and walked in to the building. The inside was definitely better looking than the pale red brick wall outside. The walls were a dark green color surrounded by a white trim. The theme of the place appeared to be baseball as there were many pictures of famous baseball players as well as popular places like Dodger and Yankee Stadium. A tall girl with dark red hair greeted us at the door and seated us in a nearby booth.

"My name is Heather, I'll be your waitress for the night. Can I get you started with any drinks?" She asked kindly.

"Uh, I'll have a coke." I replied. She smiled at me in a flirtatious sort of way.

"And I'll take an ice tea." My mom said. Heather nodded her head and walked away towards the serving counter. I looked around at my surroundings. It wasn't fancy or all that wonderful, but it was still a quaint little place with a nice atmosphere.

"I'm going to find the bathroom." I told my mother. She waved me off as she read over the menu. I walked over to the counter trying to flag down an employee to help me. I couldn't see our waitress anywhere, but I did spot a blonde girl on the opposite side of the counter facing a sink busy washing dishes.

"Excuse me?" I asked. The girl took a quick glance over her shoulder at me and shut the sink off, drying her hands off before turning around and smiling at me.

Holy crap. It was Kim.

There stood Kim Crawford, sporting a black Luigi's Pizzeria shirt and a pair of light washed skinny jeans covered in pizza sauce and dough. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a loose pony tail and her bangs were pinned to the side with a bobby pin. Wow, even covered in sauce she was beautiful.

"Oh hey, Jack right?" She asked pointing at me. She was still smiling and it was making it very hard to speak.

"Uh, yeah. And you're Kim." I replied. She giggled.

"Yeah, that's me. You're in my calculus class. Did you need something?"

"Yeah, I have no idea where the bathroom is." I said sounding like a complete moron.

"Oh it's right down that hall." She pointed towards an opening on the other side of the restaurant. I thanked her and quickly took off towards the bathroom. Kim Crawford had a job? Jerry told me she was rich, so why would she waste her time working if she already had money.

I went to the restroom and walked back to my booth, but not without sneaking a glance over at Kim again. Kim was now wiping tables down and picking up dirty plates, and she STILL had a smile on her face. Why did this not seem normal? Everyone seemed so intimidated by her and Jerry made it seem like she was a mean person, but the Kim I was looking at right now and talked to only a few minutes ago was doing nothing but smiling and being nice.

"Do you know that girl?" My mom interrupted my thoughts.

"Uh, yeah. Kinda. She's in one of my classes." I said. My mom looked over at her.

"She's pretty."

"Yes mom, she is. But don't get any ideas. I'm not interested in her and she doesn't like me." I gave her a hard stern look that told her to drop it. She threw her hands up defensively.

"Fine, fine. Whatever you say."

It took us about fifteen minutes to get our pizza, another twenty to eat it, and five to pay our check. As we got up to leave, I couldn't help but look over at Kim. She was busing more tables and by this time her smile was beginning to fade and now she just looked exhausted. She gazed over at me once she realized we were leaving and began walking over to clean our table. She moved much slower than earlier and now she was wearing a frown and a pair of big brown sad eyes. I looked down at our table and suddenly I felt extremely guilty and bad for the mess that we had left. I decided to take out a five dollar bill from my pocket and I placed it under one of the plates. I followed my mom to the exit and once I was outside and across the street, I took a quick glance back at the pizzeria just in time to see Kim pick up the bill and her lips curve into a small smile.

"I saw what you did Jack." My mom said as she started the car.

"What are you talking about?" I asked trying to act like I had no clue. She rolled her eyes and smirked at me.

"Jack, drop it. That was a very nice thing you did, and I think you made her night ten times better."

I couldn't help but think I did too. I couldn't help but want to make her night better. But as we drove home, one thing remained in the back of my mind.

Maybe Jerry was wrong about Kim Crawford. Maybe there was something he didn't know.

* * *

**HOLY SHIT. This literally took me forever to write and I don't even think it came out all that great. Tell me what you guys think. Good, bad? Like it, hate it?**

**Review. Please and thank you :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hellloooo :) Since I'm done with my last story Summer Brings Changes, which was very popular I'm happy to say, I can now focus on updating this one more often. A lot of you wanted me to "slow things down" but I'm not exactly sure what you all meant. Kim and Jack won't be having any sort of relationship for quite sometime, Jack just has a crush on her.**

**But anyways, I hope you all enjoy this next chapter. I promise I'm putting more Kick into the story, just be patient.**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Kim Unraveling  
**

**Jack's POV**

It had been three days since the pizzeria incident and I still couldn't get Kim Crawford off my mind. All I had done was leave her a tip, maybe a large one, but still. It was merely a friendly gesture, but something about Kim's recent behavior made me believe she thought it was more.

Kim had hardly looked at me since I saw her at the pizza place. She wouldn't acknowledge me even though I sat right next to her in calculus and French. It was like I was completely invisible. I don't know whether this was just how she treated everyone, or if I had made a mistake by leaving her the five dollars. I wanted to know but I didn't want to ask.

"YO. EARTH TO JACK!" I jumped a little against the locker I was leaning on and looked over at the annoyed Latino boy standing next to me.

"What?" I asked. Jerry groaned and rolled his eyes.

"For the third time, could you move? You're blocking my locker dude." He replied in a tone of frustration. I peeked over my shoulder at the locker and then moved forward.

"Oh, sorry dude." I apologized.

"Why are you so out of it?" Jerry questioned curiously as he opened his locker and threw his algebra book in and grabbed his history one, stuffing it as well as a foot long sandwich into his backpack.

"I don't know. I just got a lot on my mind I guess." I said. Just then Kim and Grace appeared around the corner and walked past us chatting animatedly about something. I know I should have kept my eyes to myself but I couldn't help but catch a glimpse at the short sea foam green sundress and the brown cowboy boots Kim was wearing. I had a lot of admiration for Kim and how she looked good in anything and had her own sense of style, apart from every other girl here in Seaford High.

"Oh I see. You're thinking of little miss Kim Crawford." Jerry teased as he shut his locker.

"No Jerry. She's not what I'm thinking about." I replied a little unconvincingly. Jerry just smirked.

"Lets just go to lunch." I groaned. We walked down the packed hallway of kids trying to beat each other to the cafeteria lines. Why they even fought for this food I would never know. We finally managed to push ourselves through the crowd and spotted Eddie and Milton sitting at a table in the back. We walked over and sat down, Eddie and Milton both too engrossed in a heated argument about who has the potential to be the best in the dojo to notice us.

"You guys are still going on about that?" Jerry asked as he unwrapped his sandwich. I shook my head and sighed. That's all the Wasabi Warriors seem to do. Argue about who the top dog was. I'm not even sure they even spent that much time actually practicing.

"Will you guys give it a rest already? You're all good." I said trying to calm them down long enough for us to have a peaceful lunch. Eddie and Milton immediately stopped talking and stared at me. I glanced over at Jerry who had his sandwich up to his mouth ready to bite into but his attention directly on me.

"What?" I asked.

"Are you joking? Have you even seen us practice? We're like weak legged gazelles straight out of the womb. We have no grace, no patience, and we couldn't land a flying kick if our lives depended on it. No one is good at the Bobby Wasabi dojo. That's why we never win anything." Milton dramatically threw his hand up in the air and slammed his head onto the table.

"Whoa there Milton, calm down bro. Don't wanna lose any of those brain cells of yours. They're what gets me through math." Jerry said. Milton lifted his head and glared at Jerry. They all looked so bummed when it came to their dojo and their skills. Yeah, it was true, I hadn't seen them in action but they couldn't be that terrible could they?

"Whoa, whoa. Hot mamacitas at twelve o' clock." Jerry slapped my arm and pointed towards the door. I looked over and saw Kim and Grace walk in with that guy Brody trailing Kim. He looked like a little lost puppy.

"Dude, did you learn nothing last time you said something like that about those two? I thought Kim was going to tear your head off." Eddie pointed out. Jerry waved it off.

"Eddies' right. She was going to kill you." Milton agreed.

"In case you can't remember, she said thank you." Jerry replied cockily. I shut my eyes and bit my lip. Why did everything have to go to his head?

"Hey ladies, how you doing?" Jerry called out. I slapped my hand over his mouth quickly, but definitely not quick enough by the look on both Kim and Grace's face. Kim cocked an eyebrow at me and I smiled back dumbly. Jerry was going to be the death of us. I pulled my hand away from Jerry's mouth.

"Jeez bro. All I asked was how they were doing." He shouted. I face palmed at his loudness and looked up to see Kim and Grace making their way over. Oh no.

"Jerry, did you have a question?" Kim asked politely. Jerry's eyes widened. He didn't actually think she'd walk over.

"Uh, I uh, I just asked how you two were doing?" He stuttered. Kim and Grace exchanged looks. Grace peered down at Jerry and smiled.

"We're good thanks." She said. All three boys looked stunned. Me, I couldn't take my eyes off Kim. The girls smiled before they turned around to walk away, but not before Kim turned back and looked at me.

"Oh yeah, thanks for the tip Jack. It made my night." They then proceeded to strut over to a table Brody had saved for them. I sat there frozen. Kimberly Crawford had actually spoke to me in public, at school, in front of everyone. Everyone else seemed to be confused and amazed too. Did she not do this to many people?

"Holy crap. Kim just acknowledged you, and in a good way." Eddie said. I shrugged.

"So?" I asked. The guys stared at me like I had grown three heads.

"Do you know what that means? She likes you! She never does that! She doesn't talk to anyone but Grace and Brody, unless she's telling someone off!" Milton exclaimed. I glanced over at Jerry who was still sitting there staring off in the distance with his mouth hanging half way open.

"Jerry? You ok?" I asked waving my hand in front of his face. He blinked a few times before he seemed to come back to reality.

"Did Grace just talk to me?" He questioned, unsure of whether or not he was dreaming. I nodded. His face lit up.

"Anyways, before Jerry completely loses his head. Jack for the hundredth time, please join the dojo. With your history and experience we might finally have a chance!" Milton begged. I threw my head back and groaned.

"Oh my god. You are never going to give up! Fine, I'll come by and check it out." I promised. All three of them cheered earning a few weird looks from some people sitting close by. I gazed up at the clock and saw class starts in ten minutes. I grabbed my backpack as I stood up and waved goodbye to the guys. I always left early because it gave me some time away from the huge crowd of students rushing to get to class on time. I walked out into the empty hallway and began making my way to my French class.

"Jack! Wait a sec!" I turned around and saw Kim speed walking to catch up. She smiled as she got closer.

"Hey." She greeted in a soft voice.

"Hey." I replied. We stood there in awkward silence for a few seconds before she spoke up.

"So since we have class together next, do you mind if I walk with you?" She asked.

"Yeah, sure. Come on." I said as we began walking. I looked down at her as we approached the stairs to get to the second floor trying to think of something to say to break the tension between us.

"So, uh, about the other night. I'm sorry if leaving the tip was too forward or inappropriate. I just saw you were having a bad day and decided to do something nice." I explained. I heard her giggle.

"It's ok, Jack. It was nice and I appreciate it. I'm just surprised." She replied.

"Why?" I asked confused.

"Well, I'm sure your friends have told you a few things about me and I bet you've heard some rumors. I'm just surprised you wanted to do something nice for someone who everyone thinks is such a crazy bitch." She sarcastically said. I shook my head quickly.

"I don't think you're a crazy bitch. Maybe a little intimidating, but you haven't done anything to me for me to believe something so absurd. I mean as far as I've seen, you're a pretty nice girl. I'm just surprised you have a job."

"Well it's not something that a lot of people know." She said. I stopped and grabbed her arm to stop her too.

"You know I won't tell anyone. I can keep a secret." I assured her. She laughed and shook her head.

"I'm not ashamed that I have a job, Jack. It's not a secret. Most people just assume that I don't have one or need one because I drive a nice car to school sometimes, but it's not even mine. It's my dad's. I drive an old Ford Focus that I bought last year, it's just in the shop. And I only have decent clothes because I buy them myself. Everyone has this idea in their heads that I'm some spoiled rich brat, but my dad doesn't buy me anything." Kim looked pretty proud of herself. It was just another thing to admire about her.

"Oh. I didn't know. I just hear that you have a lot of money and when I saw you the other night I was just kind of shocked." Now I felt like an asshole. Kim shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, what are you gonna do? People will always judge you no matter what. But I'm letting you know that half the shit you hear about me, probably isn't true." She winked and nudged me before continuing up the stairs. I just watched her walk away in awe. She was beautiful. She was already beginning to destroy all the bad things that had been said about her. She had thick skin when it came to the judgements and harsh opinions of others.

There was just so much to admire about Kim Crawford, and I was beginning to like it.

* * *

**This chapter is so lame. But I wanted to get something up, so just hang in there. It'll get better.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys. I've gotten quite a bit of feedback on this story saying how much you all love Kim's character and how she acts in this story. I'm so glad to hear that. I've tried to get away from the damzal in distress character for this story.**

**Also, a lot of you are mentioning Jack and Kim's relationship. Let me just clarify that there is no relationship at this time, nor will there be one in the next few chapters. I'm trying to build up to that so when they do get closer, they know each other on a different level rather than boyfriend girlfriend.**

**Anyways, here's an update :)**

* * *

**Chapter 4 - Wasabi Warriors**

**Jack's POV**

Wow.

That was all I could think once I walked into the Bobby Wasabi dojo. The equipment was old, the mats were stained and the practice dummies looked quite torn up. The guys had mentioned how out of date the place was compared to other facilities but I hadn't imagined it to be this worn. Even the bow staffs were cheap quality.

"Told you." Jerry warned as I stood in the middle of the mats scanning the medium sized room. I turned away from the beaten up faded blue lockers and looked at the guys who were now wearing expressions of embarrassment.

"It's not that bad." I shrugged. Obviously my attempt at defusing the tension had no affect because they all rolled their eyes.

"Oh please Jack. Look at this place. You can tell this is the dojo of three terrible karate students." Milton said.

"Yeah. Everyone associates us with losing. We're the loser dojo." Eddie added sadly. Jerry walked over to one of the dummies and punched the head, which flew off and landed across the room.

"Damn it. There goes another one." Jerry groaned as he jogged over and picked up the decapitated head. He sighed as he tossed it in the trash.

"Well just because the dojo is a little run down doesn't mean it affects the skills of the members. Show me what you got." I said, urging them to perform some sparring.

Eddie and Milton walked onto the mats first. They bowed to each other and took their fighting stances. So far so good. Eddie made the first move, aiming a low kick at Milton who attempted to dodge it but stumbled forward instead. As Eddie went to land his kick, he lost balance and fell face first on the mats. Both boys stood back up and looked at me miserably. I smiled weakly. Jerry walked out next and tried to demonstrate some kicks and punches, each coming out sloppy and unbalanced. He gave up fairly quickly too.

"You guys have potential. You just need some more practice. Who's the sensei?" I asked.

"That would be me." A short blonde man wearing a white gi with a green belt walked out, picking up a fallen bow staff on the way over. He stopped in front of me and held out his hand.

"Rudy Galepsi. Third degree black belt and sensei of this dojo. You are?" He asked as I shook his hand firmly.

"Jack Brewer." I replied. Rudy looked over at the guys.

"If you all keep looking at the faults of this place instead of keeping your focus on karate, then you'll never improve. I've told you before that every piece of equipment in this room will help you advance, no matter how beaten up or out of date. Skills come from determination and focus, not the condition of what you are training on." With that Rudy tuned back towards his office and began walking away.

"Wait, Rudy. Jack here is a second degree black belt, and he knows how to use a bow staff. His grandpa trained Bobby Wasabi. We were looking to recruit him. Maybe you'll be impressed." Eddie said. Rudy looked back at me.

"Your grandpa trained THE Bobby Wasabi? Like actually trained him?" He asked amazed. I nodded.

"Well then, show me a routine and let's see what you got." He ordered as he tossed a wooden bow staff to me. I caught it and looked back at the guys who all wore huge smiles on their faces. They were really counting on me.

I walked out to the middle of the mats and bowed. I began my routine and twirled the staff over my head and around my body. I threw in a few kicks and jabs with the staff before doing a jump and throwing my leg out for a flying kick before landing perfectly and bowing once again to Rudy.

"That was...AMAZING!" The guys shouted as they ran up to me, patting my back and high fiving me.

"Well Jack, I have to say you sure do know what you're doing. We definitely have a place for you here." Rudy welcomed me. I could tell he was trying to hold back his excitement. He walked back towards his office and did a little hop in the air before closing the door.

"Dude, that was awesome. How do you do that?" Jerry asked as he took the bow staff from me trying to do the flying kick I had done, landing horribly on his back.

"It's not that easy. Bow staff is a complex routine." I answered as I took Jerry's hand and hoisted him up onto his feet.

"Jeez, how many times did you fall learning that?" He questioned as he rubbed his back side. I laughed.

"A lot. But before you attempt the bow staff, you have to master hand and leg skills. You need to have extreme balance and grace." I patted his back reassuringly. I glanced down at my watch and realized I had to get home.

"Well I gotta get going guys, but I'll see you tomorrow." I waved goodbye as I grabbed my backpack and began walking home. After two quiet and uneventful years, I was going to be doing karate again. Man how I had missed it.

I decided to take the long way home, knowing full well that my mom's boyfriend Peter was most likely going to be there now since he had taken the first flight this morning. I hated him. We never saw eye to eye and I was pretty sure he was only planning on marrying my mom to piss me off. He had never mentioned the word marriage before I had told my mom that I wasn't comfortable with her getting remarried right now. Of course Peter had heard and two days later he was ready to propose. My mom said not right now, for me. But she was completely smitten with the idiot and I didn't know how much longer she was going to tell him no.

The sun was beginning to set and as I passed the beach I spotted a young girl running through the sand in a pair of black work out shorts, a blue tank, and grey Nike running shoes. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a messy pony tail and she had the ear phones from her iPod in her ears. She looked like she was in her own little world. Then I realized something. The girl was Kim. I would have said hi but since she was so zoned in on running and had her music on, I doubt she would have seen or heard me. She was beautiful though.

"Kim!" A boy waved at her as she got closer to where he was standing. I recognized the boy as the one she was always hanging around with at school. Brody. I stood there for a minute and watched Kim hug him. It confused me. The guys had said that Kim didn't date or really have anything to do with guys, but she was completely attached to him. Whatever though. It didn't matter nor was it any of my business. I looked away from Kim and Brody and began walking again. This would have been a whole lot easier if I had my skateboard. Stupid Peter convincing my mom it was too dangerous.

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I took it out and looked down at the caller ID.

_Mom_

Great. What did she want? I debated on answering it or not, but thought against ignoring her since I didn't feel like getting an earful from her once I finally got home.

"Hi mom." I answered blandly.

"Jackson Brewer, where are you? You were supposed to be home an hour ago. Peter is here and we were going to go out to dinner." She yelled clearly angry.

"Well I got caught up. Great, you two can go without me. I don't feel like dealing with Peter tonight anyways." I replied bitterly.

"Oh knock it off Jack. Peter has never done anything wrong and you act like a little ass whenever he's around. He just wants you to accept him." She whispered.

"Why whisper mom? Don't want Peter to hear that I don't like him?"

"You know what, fine. You can stay home. Forget trying to be a family!" She shouted. The line went dead. Whatever. I didn't want to talk to her or see Peter anyways. I shoved my phone back into my pocket as I neared my street. I was hoping they'd be gone by the time I get there.

"Don't like your step dad?" A soft voice asked. I turned around to see Kim walking closely behind me. How long had she been there? She's sneaky.

"He's not my step dad." I stated. She smirked at me as she caught up with me and we kept walking side by side.

"How long have you been behind me?" I asked. Kim shrugged.

"Not too long. I ran up but you were on the phone and I didn't want to interrupt." She said.

"Oh. Well where's Brody? I saw you guys at the beach."

"Are you stalking me Brewer?" She teased. I rolled my eyes.

"You were the one who was behind me listening in on my phone call."

She laughed. It was adorable.

"He went home. It is pretty late you know. Why are you out so late?" She questioned.

"I went with the guys to the Bobby Wasabi dojo and I took the long way so I wouldn't have to deal with my mom's boyfriend."

"Don't like him?" She asked. I shook my head.

"My mom thinks he's so amazing, but he's a total jerk. He just knows how to play my mom. I'm tired of him being around and he only wants to marry my mom to make me mad." I glanced down at Kim who seemed deep in thought about something. I waved my hand in front of her face.

"Oh sorry. I was just thinking how similar that sounds to my mom." She laughed.

"Your mom likes a jerk too?"

"She left actually. She left us for a guy she met on a business trip. Anthony. She came back, told my dad she didn't love him anymore, they divorced and it was only a year before she packed her stuff and left." Kim breathed deeply. She looked like she was replaying a particularly painful memory in her mind, but I couldn't blame her. If my mom left me like that, I'd be hurt too. I touched her shoulder softly.

"I'm sorry Kim." I said. She smiled.

"Don't be. You didn't do anything. Besides, I don't even really care anymore. I just try to accept that she didn't love us enough to stay. I use it as motivation to be a better wife and mother one day."

We finally reached my house and luckily, no one was there. Kim stood still for a minute just staring at my house. Was it really that small?

"I know, it's really small. But after my dad died we couldn't really afford much. My mom is a nurse so her income definitely isn't a whole lot." I stated. Kim giggled.

"It's not the size Jack. It's a beautiful home. I wish I lived in a smaller house like this. Everyone sees my house and automatically thinks spoiled brat. It's too big. My dad is a lawyer and he's hardly ever home, so it gets pretty lonely, especially since my brother left for the marines six months ago." I see a tear gather in the corner of her eye but she holds it back.

"Your brother is a marine?" I ask intrigued.

"Yeah. He's always wanted to be in the military, ever since my grandpa have him his old dog tags and camo jacket when he was twelve. He finally signed and left." She bit her bottom lip. The urge to cry looked like it was going to overcome her resistance not to.

"We'll where is your house? I can walk you." I offer. Kim shook her head.

"No need. I live right across the street from you." She turned around and pointed to a large, two story house directly across from mine. It was beautiful. The grass was perfectly cut and rows of rose bushes hid the front porch.

"Wow." I whispered. Kim looked at me and gave me a small smile.

"Yep. That's my house. But I guess I should be getting in now, so I'll see you around Jack." She said as she crossed the street and walked up the stairs to her front door. I watched as she dug around in her pockets for a key and after she found it and went inside, I turned around and went home as well.

Like I was hoping, the house was empty and quiet. Peter's bags were piled in a corner in the living room and two empty wine glasses sat on the kitchen counter. Of course he would get her to drink, even after knowing her past with alcohol. I walked over and tossed the glasses in the sink, not caring if they shattered or not. I hadn't even seen Peter yet and I was already getting angry. He did no good for anyone. He was only going to ruin things.

I left the kitchen and went down the hall to the end where my bedroom was. Boxes were still scattered around my room and I had a lot of unpacking still to do. I had no motivation to clean, but if I didn't start I'd never get it done. I found my laptop and placed it on my empty desk. I opened it and went to Facebook, scrolling down the newsfeed. I rolled my eyes at some posts. People were just plain stupid sometimes. Who cared what you had for dinner or that your dad bought you a brand new cashmere sweater? I was about to get up when I noticed a small icon on the side under 'people you may know'. Kim Crawford. I thought to myself for a minute. I guess me and Kim were like friends. We talked, had a few conversations. Now I know we live across from each other. Would it freak her out if I requested her though? I mean we weren't close or anything, but we were classmates at least. I grabbed the mouse and dragged the arrow over to Kim's picture and clicked on it. Her profile came up but of course all the information was on private. I hesitated, but clicked add as friend anyways. It was just Facebook. No harm.

I finally managed to shake off my laziness and I began unpacking. I hung up my shirts, put the rest of my clothes away in my dresser drawers, and hooked up my tv and play station. I organized all my games and movies and managed to get rid of most of the boxes, successfully making more room for me to move around in. After I took the empty boxes and stacked them in the garage, I decided to take a shower and eat something before I went to bed.

I walked back into my room and changed into my red and black plaid sweats and made my way over to my bed. I was about to climb under the covers until I heard my laptop chime. I glanced over at the screen and saw I had a Facebook notification. I made my way over and clicked on the little red notification. I smiled.

_Kim Crawford has accepted your friend request._

* * *

**And end. Oh my god. Took me so long haha.**

**Show some love. Review.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Oh gosh, I am so happy you all love this story so much! I've been getting so many wonderful reviews and I just want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart. I love writing and you all keep giving me a reason to.**

**XOXO - M**

* * *

**Chapter 5 - Accidents & Heart Attacks**

**Kim's POV**

My dad always taught me to keep myself guarded from others, to protect myself from ever getting hurt like how my mother had hurt him. He always said that love never lasted long enough for it to ever be worth the pain.

So why were my walls starting to crumble every time Jack Brewer was around?

It wasn't like I was falling in love with him. I had just met the boy a few days ago. Sure he was cute and really nice, but you can't like a person based on appearance and a few small conversations. I was definitely far from love, but there was just something about him that made me want to get closer. Something about him drew me in and even though I desperately wanted to stay away from him, I couldn't help but want to talk to him whenever I saw him. But I had to. I had to do whatever I could to keep my guard up. For my dad.

Ugh, my dad. I didn't know whether to love the man or dislike him. He was so unstable with his moods. One minute he's happy and completely fine, the next he's drowning himself in self pity and depression with a bottle of hard liqor. I know the past few years have been tough on him with losing my mom, but you would think a single parent would want to stay strong for his children, not let them witness you fall apart.

Like right now. He was currently sitting on the couch in the living room with his tie undid and a bottle of scotch in one hand and a picture of my mother in the other. What was I supposed to do? What was I supposed to say? Nothing I ever did could brighten his mood or make him feel even the least bit better. So I just sit here at the kitchen table with my homework sprawled out in front of me as always and watch him drink his problems away. What a pitiful life for a girl who's supposedly the "baddest bitch" in Seaford.

I looked up at the clock on the microwave and saw it was half an hour before my shift at the pizza place. I sighed as I glanced over my unfinished calculus homework. Working night shifts and trying to keep my grades up was beginning to be much more of a hassle than I had intended it to. But I had to work, no matter how much homework I had. I stood up and packed my books away into my backpack before running upstairs to get my work shirt and name tag. Once I changed, I grabbed my phone and wallet and walked back down stairs. I threw a look of disgust at my father while he chugged his scotch bottle as I walked past him. I rolled my eyes at him as he began to hiccup. This was getting ridiculous. A lawyer with a drinking problem. Who would have thought?

"That's fine. Just l-leave like your mother." My father said as I grabbed my keys off the table next to the front door.

"What did you say?" I asked glaring down at his drunk form now slouched half way over off the couch. He slowly pulled himself up and glared back.

"You heard me." He sneered. I shook my head at him.

"You're unbelievable. I can't even go to work without you causing a scene. Stop being so dramatic." I said. I opened the door but quickly froze when the glass liquor bottle hit the wall next to me, shattering and soaking the white carpet. I spun around completely shocked. No matter how drunk my father got, he never got violent.

"Don't you ever talk to me like that! I am your father!" He shouted.

"Then why don't you act like one!" I yelled back. I was now struggling to keep tears back from falling. I would not fall apart.

"Now I don't act like a father? Are you kidding me? I've taken care of you ever since your whore of a mother left! I've fed you, put a roof over your head, put the clothes on your back and I give you everything you need!" He was now standing in front of me, his face inches away from mine.

"You are not allowed to say that! I work every night to pay YOUR bills! I'm the one feeding you! I'm the one putting clothes on my own back! I pay for everything! My gas, your gas, the water, the electricity! If it wasn't for me, we'd have no power! All you pay for is your damn alcohol to get wasted so you can pretend like mom still loves you but she's never coming back!" That was enough. My dad's hand suddenly collided with the side of my face. My eyes were now rimmed with tears as I held onto my stinging cheek. My dad's face suddenly softened and his eyes widened after realizing what he had done. My dad slapped me. He actually hit me.

"Kim, I am so sorry." He whispered. He lifted his hand to touch my face but I backed away.

"Kim, please. I didn't mean to." He begged. I began to sob.

"How dare you." I cried before running out the door and climbing into my car. My dad ran out after me but I had turned the car on fast and reversed out before he could reach me. I could hear him calling my name but I didn't care. I had to leave. I had to get away. I turned the volume up on the radio full blast and cried heavily as I drove down the street. Once I reached the freeway, my vision was so blurred I could only make out the headlights from passing cars. It would have been smart to pull over and regain control over myself before driving any further, but my mind was screaming drive. I didn't want to stop. The rain began to pour and I turned on my windshield wipers, but I could still hardly see anything. That's when I heard the continuous honking and saw the bright headlights in front of me. I let go of the steering wheel and screamed.

**Jack's POV**

Today was my first day practicing at the dojo. I was excited to get back at it, but still nervous about being the new guy. Of course Eddie, Milton and Jerry had already accepted me as one of them and I doubted anything was going to change that, but I still felt like I needed to impress Rudy a little more to really earn my place. Earning the sensei's respect was always the number one priority.

"Jack! Hurry up if you want a ride!" My mother shouted. I did one last double check of my practice bag to make sure I had everything before slipping my shoes on and walking out to the living room. My mom was dressed in her blue nurses scrubs and she sat at the kitchen table drinking a cup of coffee. I looked over at the couch and there was Peter, sitting on his lazy ass reading the newspaper. I rolled my eyes. He was only pretending to be interested in the paper. He really wasn't.

"I'm ready mom." I said. She looked up at me and smiled.

"Oh great. Then Peter can give you a ride." She replied.

"Uh what? I thought you were on your way to work?" I asked angrily.

"I was but Peter is headed onto that side of town so he can give you one." She stood up from the table and poured out her mug before giving me a kiss on the forehead and Peter one on the mouth. Ew. Gag me with a damn spoon. She waved goodbye to us before closing the front door and walking out to her car.

"Ready then champ?" Peter asked throwing the paper aside and standing up. I groaned.

"My name is Jack, not champ. I'll go with you, but we're not talking." I stated as I walked past him. I walked out to his little white Nissan and threw my bag into the back seat. I took a quick glance over at Kim's house but I didn't see her car. That's weird. Where would a teenage girl be at 8 a.m on a Saturday morning? I shrugged it off and got into the car.

The entire drive there was just awkward. We didn't say a word to each other and all Peter listened to was the news, so the only thing breaking our silence was the voice of a monotone forty year old man. I wanted to bang my head against a window.

"And in other news, freeway 90 is currently blocked off after a head on collision happened last night around 7 p.m. One death has been reported and the others involved have been taken to the hospital where they remain in critical condition. No word yet on who the victims are."

"So I guess we won't be taking the freeway." Peter insensitively stated as he turned onto Seaford's main street to cut through the middle of town.

"Guess not." I replied.

It took an extra five minutes to get to the dojo, but thankfully I was still on time. The guys showed me my locker and the changing room before giving me a full tour of the entire dojo. Other than the old equipment, it did seem like Rudy kept the place pretty well maintained.

"I think we need to practice sparring." Milton suggested.

"That sounds like a good idea. Who's going to spar with who?" I asked. The guys exchanged glances before erupting in loud "not its". I could only guess they were deciding on who was going to spar with me. Jerry lost.

"Aw, man. So not cool yo." He whined as he took his position across from me. We bowed to each other before beginning our match. Jerry charged unprotected and I was able to successfully flip him within seconds. Eddie and Milton laughed.

"Jerry, charging doesn't get you anywhere. You gotta keep yourself ready for attack at all times. If you let your guard down, you're going to get hurt. Keep your arms up ready to block and slowly move in." I said as I pulled him off the ground. He brushed himself off.

"That sounds good." He said. I smirked. Eddie and Milton were next. They took my advice and blocked, but they both ended up falling after trying to kick each other at the same time.

"What do we do then?" Milton asked as he struggled to get up.

"Well if you're being attacked and you see him aim a kick low, jump. If he aims a kick high, duck. It's all really simple." I answered.

Suddenly Rudy rushed in looking sweaty and exhausted. He bent over and placed his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath.

"Dang Rudy. Run a marathon or something?" Eddie teased.

"Ha ha, so funny. No. I didn't know the freeway was closed so I had to find a way to turn around and get off. Then Main Street was packed because of the traffic so I parked on the side of the street and ran here." He explained as he took a towel out of his bag and wiped his face.

"Oh yeah, it's closed because of that accident." Milton said.

"Yeah, I heard about that on the radio earlier. I wonder who was involved." Eddie added. I shrugged.

"I don't know, but it sounded pretty bad. I hope no one else dies. I heard there was already one death." I said. I looked over at Rudy who was still struggling for his breath, but it was what was going on outside that caught my attention. Grace, the girl who was always with Kim, was sitting outside at a table in the food court crying. Brody walked up with a few napkins and a soda, handing both to her. Now where was Kim? Those three were inseparable. Was it even possible for two of them to be alone without the third? And why was Grace so upset? I turned away from the scene and cleared my mind. I was being nosey.

"Alright, I want you all working with the dummies today." Rudy instructed after finally regaining himself

We did as we were told and practiced for an hour and a half punching and kicking the dummies. After we were all wiped out and Milton and Eddie's arms were numb, we decided to call it quits. We changed, said goodbye to Rudy, and left to get a bite to eat.

The guys took me to a place across the way called Falafel Phil's. I only ate a small order of falafel balls before saying bye to the guys and calling my mom for a ride. She arrived fifteen minutes later looking so tired and even a little sad. Well she was a nurse, and I'm sure she saw some pretty horrible things sometimes.

"How was work?" I asked as we drove down main street. She sighed before rubbing her temple.

"Hectic. We had our hands full with that accident. It was pretty bad. The injuries were terrible and another person passed away. I can't believe something like this even happened. The worst part is, I'm a mother, so when I see kids around the same age as my kid, I freak out a little. There were two teenagers involved and every time I looked at them, I saw you." She sniffled. I could see her eyes beginning to water.

"Mom, but it wasn't me. I'm still here and I'm totally fine." I tried to reassure her.

"But Jack, you should have seen their parents. They were living a total nightmare and I had to stand there and watch them live it. Those poor kids." She was just in tears now. I didn't really know what to do. She was driving, so it wasn't like I could hug her or anything.

"Oh Jack. Do you remember that girl from the pizza place we ate at our first night here?" She asked as she tried to wipe her eyes with her free hand. I looked at her confused. Then my heart began to race. Why would she ask that?

"Yes." I said slowly.

"Are you friends with her?"

"Kind of. I've talked to her a few times, and she lives across the street from us. Why? What happened?" My heart beat faster and faster as I waited for her to respond.

"She was one of them."

Now my heart stopped.

* * *

**Don't hate me! I know you all are probably like, WTF WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TO KIM! But trust me, there's a big reason for it and you'll just have to wait to find out why.**

**Review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**This is why I left you all with a cliff hanger. You're all desperate for the next chapter now! Haha. Well I didn't want to make you all wait too long, so here it is :)**

**Did Kim die? Or is she alive?**

* * *

**Chapter 6 - Hospitals & Promises  
**

**Jack's POV**

I couldn't stop thinking about Kim. I know that's weird since we didn't really know each other all that well, but it was all my mind could process.

Kim. Kim was hurt. Kim was in the hospital. Maybe even dying.

I wanted to go see her so bad, to make sure she was ok. But then I remembered, we were never officially friends. What if I showed up and she told me to leave? What if she thought I was a complete weirdo because of it? I wasn't trying to stalk her or make her uncomfortable. I just cared. A lot.

Things around school were pretty crazy. Everyone was talking about the accident. Some people claimed that Kim did it on purpose. Apparently having the reputation for causing trouble means you'll willingly ram your car into someone else's. Some said maybe she was trying to kill herself. And then there were those who believed it was just an accident, which was what it was. I knew Kim didn't drive into someone else on purpose and even though I only knew her for a short amount of time, Kim Crawford was not the suicidal type. I wanted all the rumors to stop. Of course, now with Kim out of the picture, Donna Tobin and her possy believed they were the rulers of the school and they were going to make sure Kim never was again.

"Can you believe Kim killed someone? I mean the girl is crazy, but I never thought she'd stoop that low." I heard Donna telling some girls in the senior class. I opened my locker and began rummaging around in it, trying to keep myself from ripping Donna's head off. Why did the girl even hate Kim?

"Oh my god, I know. I remember last year when she got into that fight with Brittany Andrews. I swear, that girl would have ripped all of Britt's hair out if Brody hadn't pulled her off." One of the other girls said.

"Oh and the time she slapped Brad Woolf across the face. Like what the hell? She had no right."

"Actually, she had every right." Another voice piped up. I peeked around my locker to see who the person was and saw Grace and Brody standing there in front of Donna and the rest of the girls. Grace looked pissed.

"Oh really? And what gave her that right?" Donna asked angrily.

"Maybe the fact that Brad said perverted things to her. Not to mention the time he tried to roofie her at a party. As for Brittany, maybe she shouldn't call other people's mothers sluts and bitches. Brittany had it coming and so did Brad. And for the record, Kim didn't kill anyone. The car did and that wasn't Kim's fault." Grace's voice dripped with venom.

"You know what-" Donna began but Grace interrupted her.

"What Donna? What other bitchy and false things do you have to say about Kim? Please, tell me. I dare you. I dare you to say one more bad thing about Kim because I'd love an excuse to rip that bleached fake ass weave right out of your head. So say it. Give me a reason." Grace threatened. She was now in Donna's face, her fists clenched ready to aim. Donna glared at her before flipping her hair and walking away. She walked past me, giving me a wink and an air kiss as she did. I gagged.

"How dare she say those things about Kim! After all Kim has been through! She's not even awake yet!" I heard Grace yell. I looked back over at her and Brody. Grace was now sobbing and Brody was holding her close to him.

"I know Grace. I know you're worried but you heard what the doctor said. Kim is going to be fine. Maybe not for awhile, but she's still alive and that's what matters. We'll go see her today after school." Brody stroked Grace's hair and hugged her as she cried in his chest. I was tempted to go talk to them but I didn't know what I would say. I gave up on debating and slammed my locker shut getting ready to head to class. I adjusted my backpack before turning to walk towards the stairs but I was quickly stopped by a small hand gripping onto my arm. I looked behind me and realized that hand belonged to Grace.

"Jack right?" She asked. I nodded.

"You're Kim's friend?" Brody questioned.

"Well I don't know if we're exactly friends." I replied. Grace smiled.

"According to her you are. She talks about you all the time." She said. I stared at her confused.

"Kim talks about me?" I was surprised. I never thought Kim ever saw me as more than just a classmate. Grace laughed and nodded.

"Yes. We're going to see her after school and we were wondering if you wanted to go?"

"Are you sure?" I asked cautiously.

"I think if Kim was awake, she'd want you there. It's a big thing when she thinks of someone as a friend." Brody answered. I looked up at him for the first time since they started talking to me and although his words told me it was ok, his eyes told me different. But this wasn't about him and his secret love for Kim. It was about Kim.

"Yeah, totally. I'll come." I told Grace.

"Great. We'll meet you at the front doors after school. Brody will drive. See you Jack." She waved bye as her and Brody walked away. I stood there for a minute thinking about what I was going to do. If Kim wasn't even awake, then what was I going to say or do? I wanted to tell her how glad I was she thought of us as friends, but I couldn't if she couldn't hear me.

I walked to my last class of the day, contemplating on everything I was planning to say. I ended up writing a letter that I was going to leave for Kim in case she woke up before I saw her again. I didn't even give a thought to the current assignment for class because I was too busy re reading the letter, making sure everything was perfect.

After the bell rang to dismiss school, I walked to the front doors and waited for Grace and Brody. Five minutes later they were leading me into the parking lot to an old red 69' Mustang. If Kim liked him for any reason, it was definitely this car.

We drove to the Seaford hospital in silence. Grace frantically searched through her purse for something while Brody kept his eyes on the road, both hands on the wheel. I could tell he was being extra cautious. He glanced at me a few times in the rear view mirror. It was obvious he wasn't too keen on having me come, but like any good friend, he pushed aside his own feelings and focused on what he thought Kim would want. I was grateful for that.

Once we got the the hospital, I followed Grace and Brody in and we walked to the front desk. A lady greeted us with a smile and kindly directed us to Kim's room. She had moved from ICU due to her steady heart rate and her ok vital signs.

"Do you think she's awake now?" Grace asked Brody as we made our way up to room 506. Brody put his arm around Grace and rubbed her shoulder in comfort.

"I don't know Grace, but if she's not, I'm sure she will be soon." He answered quietly. He sounded a bit unsure of himself but he hid it pretty well from Grace. We reached Kim's room and knocked on the door to make sure we were ok to go in. A man answered the door and he smiled sadly down at Grace and Brody. He looked tired. His eyes were blood shot and I could see him struggling to keep them open. His hair was messy and his clothes wrinkled.

"Hi Mr. Crawford. How's Kim?" Grace asked. The man looked back in the room, a tear slipping out of the corner of his eye. He quickly wiped it away.

"Same as yesterday. She's still not awake. I'm going down to get some coffee though. Keep an eye on her for me please." He slid past us and walked away down the hall. I watched him stand in front of the elevator as he waited for it to come. He was clearly holding back tears and it was a horrible feeling to watch him in so much pain. His daughter was laying in a hospital bed and he couldn't do anything to help her.

"Come in Jack." Brody waved at me from inside the room. I tore my eyes away from Kim's father and cautiously walked in. I braced myself for the worst but that didn't even seem to help me cope with the sight of a bruised and injured Kim laying in the bed in the middle of the room. She was pale and the only thing giving her any color were the blue and purple bruises plastered across her face, arms, and chest. You could see all the cuts where broken glass had stabbed her. Her left wrist was bandaged and her other was dressed in a brace. If the sight of her alone wasn't enough to make me sick, the IV and hundreds of other tubes connected to her was. She looked so helpless and so hurt that it ripped away at my heart.

This was not the Kim Crawford I remembered.

"Hey Kimmy. I know you're not awake but I really hope you can hear me. I love you girl. You're my best friend and pretty much my sister. I really need you to hang in there. Your dad needs you. He hasn't left since you were admitted. I'm trying to get him to go home and get some sleep but I doubt he'll listen to me. Look Kim, I know we've had our arguments and everything, but I really need you. I count on you to be there for me and without you I'll have no one to talk to. Please come back." Grace grabbed Kim's hand and rested her forehead on Kim's. She stood back up and moved away so Brody could see Kim too.

"Kim, we've been through a lot. You were the first person to welcome me here and it meant so much to me that you were there when I was dealing with my parent's divorce. You're an amazing person and I'm not ready to lose you. You have to come back because you give us so much to look forward to everyday. Don't leave us here." Brody kissed Kim's cheek and went to sit down in a chair next to Grace. They looked up at me ready to hear what I had to say. I took a deep breath and pulled out the letter from my back pocket.

"I haven't known you for that long Kim, and I really didn't know what to say. Instead, I wrote everything down in this letter and I really hope you read it when you wake up because I know you will. You've shown me you're really strong in only the few times that I've talked to you." I set the letter down on the table beside Kim's bed and gazed down at her. It scared me to see her in this condition. It reminded me too much of my father when he was dying.

"Guys I have to go." I said to Grace and Brody as I quickly walked over to the door and left. I made my way down the hallways of the hospital desperately trying to get out. I was starting to feel like I shouldn't have come. It was too much for me. Once I was outside I called my mom for a ride but she didn't answer. Great. Of course the one time I don't want to walk when the clouds began to roll in and threaten to pour rain, she doesn't answer. What was I going to do now?

"Hey kid." I turned around and saw Mr. Crawford sitting by the entrance of the hospital with a cup of coffee in his hand.

"Weren't you in my daughter's room visiting?" He asked eying me suspiciously. I nodded.

"Uh yeah. I'm a friend of hers. I just wanted to drop something off." I replied.

"Waiting for a ride?" He questioned. I looked down at my phone in case my mom had called back.

"Well I would be if my mom would answer. But I guess I'll just have to walk." I said as I zipped up my hoodie. Mr. Crawford shook his head.

"That won't be necessary. I'll give you a ride. It doesn't seem to be doing me or Kim much good just sitting around here." He stood up and threw his coffee away. He walked over to me and took his keys out of his pocket.

"Well thank you sir, but are you sure?" I asked.

"You're a friend of Kim's, so of course. Come on." Mr. Crawford led me through the parking lot to his car. It was the same car I had seen Kim driving on my first day at Seaford. I climbed into the passenger's seat and told Mr. Crawford that I lived right by him.

"Well then, this will be easy." He replied as he started the engine and began driving. We remained quiet for awhile. I wasn't sure how to start a conversation with him and he didn't seem like a big talker anyways. After a few minutes, Mr. Crawford decided to break the tension.

"Look Jack, I have something to ask of you." He said. I glanced over at him and saw his eyes beginning to gloss over.

"Yes sir?" I asked.

"I would ask Grace or Brody since I've known them longer, but seeing as you live right across the street I figured you'd be able to help a little more. I'll be going away for awhile and I need someone to look after Kim. I mean just check up on her and make sure she's ok. My sister will be coming in and staying with her, but I think having a friend around that she has easy access to when she needs to talk is a must." He looked over at me, his eyes now red and his cheeks wet from the few tears that fell.

"Of course I'd be there for her, if she wants me to be. Kim knows she can talk to me anytime. But sir, can I ask where you're going?" I asked.

"That's not important. Kim will know and if she feels like revealing it to you, then so be it. But all you need to know now is I've done something I regret terribly and I really need to sort myself out before I come back home to my daughter." He pulled up in front of my house and parked the car. He turned to me with a sad face.

"Please say you'll do it Jack. Please watch out for my angel." He begged. I nodded quickly.

"Yes Mr. Crawford. I promise I will. Don't worry." I replied. He slightly smiled at me. I got out of the car and waved goodbye as he drove off. I walked up to the front door and dug around in my pocket for my key. I unlocked the door and stepped in to a dark and empty house. I flipped the lights on and checked every room. No one was there. I walked back into the living room and spotted a small white piece of paper sitting on the counter with my name in big letters.

_Jack, went out for some drinks with Peter. Be home late so be good._

_Love, Mom._

Not again...

* * *

**Ahhhh! Kim is alive! Aren't you all relieved now? :) I wouldn't kill Kim off, not in a story like this. So review. Tell me what you think.**


End file.
